Carb Lover Delight. Bread and Bars

Oh yah. Keep Reading. 

I am definitely slacking on my blogging. I blame these two for keeping me preoccupied.

 It isn't that I havent been baking or cooking or busy, I just seem to find other things to do when it comes time to blog! Then, when I finally sit down to write, everything I wanted to tell you has completely slipped my mind! Maybe I'm getting old...

So last night I decided to make my own Blueberry Lara Bars. I have made the Banana Nut Bread Lara Bars before but I just did not feel up to dehydrating my own bananas. tsk tsk.


They are SUPER easy

Blueberry Muffin Lara Bars

Ingredients

1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup dates, pitted (use Medjools over Deglets – they bind better)
2 cups cashews
1 lemon, grated zest of
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds of

Now, you can do each of these ingredients separately in the food processor or you can do them all together, depending on how good your processor is and how gummy- pastey the dates and blueberries get.

Cashews, dates, dried blueberries

 I did them each separately and then combined them again with the lemon zest and vanilla bean in the food processor until they became a giant glob

Then  press into an 8 or 9-inch baking pan to about 1/2-inch thickness. 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes then turn the square out onto a cutting board. 

Slice to desired size and shape. - I made about 8 normal size bars but then cut them in half so I could have little pre workout snacks or a little something to hold me over until lunch. 

Tonight I am going out to par-tay but before I did I thought I would make some bread to nom nom on.

That's right. bread.

Brazilian Cheese Bread to be specific.

Yup. Gluten Free and Paleo [if you're into that kind of thing]

Brazilian Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

1 egg, at room temperature
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup milk
Scant 1 1/2 cups tapioca flour (tapioca starch)
1/2 cup packed grated cheese of your choice I used Cheddar
1 heaping teaspoon salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a mini-muffin tin generously. Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well. 

They say, at this point you can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to a week... But why the heck would you do that???

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until all puffy and just lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes. Eat while warm or save to reheat later.

More Friends and Lots of Food

Phew! I have been seriously slacking on blogging lately!! And it is NOT for lack of cooking... seriously, I have 4 mini loaves of chocolate pumpkin bread in the oven as I type... but it is for lack of picture taking.... sorry.

I have been making little mini creations almost every day and I have been bust with work, homework, friends, and puppies. excuses excuses.

This past weekend flew by way too fast but I was able to end it with a nice pot-luck style dinner party at my place complete with 11 people and 5 dogs.

I had been preoccupied all day and didn't even make it to the grocery store until 90 minutes before everyone was supposed to show up so I picked three very quick recipes to make for the party, and luckily I had some help.

I decided to make Ratatouille because I just love squash....and because it is just too easy!!

Ratatouille

The recipe has more specific measurements [I will post the recipe measurements] but honestly I just added what I had

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed [I added a bit more after the eggplant soaked it all up]
1 1/2 cups small diced yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic [I used 2 cloves]
2 cups medium diced eggplant, skin on [I just used the whole eggplant]
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves [I used dried]
1 cup diced green bell peppers [get this....they were OUT of them!!!]
1 cup diced red bell peppers [I used 2 in order to make up for the green one as well]
1 cup diced zucchini squash [I used 2]
1 cup diced yellow squash [I used 2]
1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes [I used two large ones]
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Set a large 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic to the pan. 

Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and lightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. 

Add the eggplant and thyme to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked, about 5 minutes. 

Add the green and red peppers, zucchini, and squash and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for a final 5 minutes. 

Stir well to blend and serve either hot or at room temperature

Yup, even will all those guestimations, it worked just great!

While I was working on that, I had my helper working on my favorite dish for diner parties

Almond and Cheese stuffed Dates wrapped in Bacon

before the oven

It is really quite simple

Ingredients 

One package of bacon

Almonds

Blue cheese

Whole pitted dates

toothpicks

Directions

Preheat oven to 400'F

Cut bacon slices in half

Take each date and put the almond in it to make some room and then remove it. Put some blue cheese into the date, then the almond again, and finish with some more cheese. 

Wrap with bacon

Place a tooth pick to keep together [or place them wrapped side down on cookie sheet]

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until bacon is browned.

These little babies go quick and make a great starter!

And finally, I wanted to make a refreshing salsa. I have really been loving pomegranates this season and so I wanted to work with them

Pomegranate Salsa

Ingredients

1 pomegranate - all the arils
1 diced cucumber - seeds removed
2 jalapeños, seeds removed and minced
1/4 - 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/3 cup diced red onion
squeeze of half to a whole lime

Directions

Mix it all together and enjoy!!!

Really what you need are the people to come eat with you!!

I am so thankful for the ability to have friends over to my home and cook and enjoy the company of such awesome people!!

I'll try and do a new post soon!

Forever Friends and Foodies

So I started out the New Year right with my Best Friend coming out to see me for a whole week. Seriously, I am happier than a clam!
Now, if you know me...or Lilly, then you know that food is pretty much a passion of ours. Has been, will be, etc. Especially since she is about to graduate with her BA of Culinary Management. We just are always craving new different foods and fun things to make.
So naturally, one of the nights she was here, we knew we needed to cook.

We were siting in a little cafe with a glass of wine and a cheese plate and decided...we wanted figs. So we thought we would make a gluten free pasta with a parmesan cheese and fig sauce.

Now, this was just in our minds so there isnt an exact recipe, but I will try my best

Parmesan Cheese and Fig Pasta

1 lb Gluten Free pasta [or normal people kind, if that's your thing...]

1 cup chopped figs

.4 lbs Parmesan Cheese

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2-3 cups fresh chopped spinach

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup honey

4 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta. easy enough, right?

While that is happening, make the sauce. yum. 

In a large saute pan, over low heat, caramelize the 4 cloves of garlic whole, being careful not to let it burn.

Add the 1 cup of chopped figs [we chopped the dried figs into quarters but agreed smaller bites would be ideal]

Add honey, red wine, and let simmer over low heat.

When the pasta is finished, add a little pasta water to the sauce and let simmer another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add drained pasta to the sauce in the saute pan and stir, coating the pasta entirely with the sauce.

Add spinach to pan and cover to let wilt. about 5 minutes but it is your call how you like it.

Grate parmesan into pan, stirring to coat. We used about .3 lbs of the cheese here....

Add balsalmic vinegar; stir.

Add salt and pepper to taste. maybe 1/2 tsp of each 

Plate and grate some fresh parm right on top before serving.

We also made a side salad of arugula, baby bella mushrooms, and tomatoes with a lemon olive oil and rice wine vinegar dressing. Look how healthy that looks!

While we were cooking, we also had ourselves a Goat Chevre and Sour Cherry ball with gluten free crackers, grapes, and prosciutto.

 

And what is dinner.....without dessert??

I recently acquired some creme brulee ramekins for christmas, and so naturally, it was the only option.

We relied on good ol' Food Network and Alton Brown for this one.

Creme Brulee

Ingredients
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. 

Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. 

Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. Yah, right, like that happened....

She was a little too excited to play with fire....

yes. please.

We had a few issues with the blow torch and the angle we were holding it at, it liked to turn itself off when it got too close to the sugar. That is when we entailed the help of men. They may not be able to make creme brulee like us, but they can certainly help us "burn" it.

a handy man to have around, add that to ingredients as well.

And then, voila!

Cracking this little baby was just perfection.

Delicious homemade creme brulee. It was just as good as any ones I have had and maybe better than the one we had that morning at the Buffet at the Paris hotel....

We didn't even make it out of the kitchen, all of us stood right there eating it. 

We made way more custard than fit into these four small adorable ramekins so we also used some others I had that we will hopefully be enjoying tonight!

It was a more difficult dish to make, so I certainly won't try it alone, but I do think I see more of these in my future!!

New Year, Same traditions.

Phew! I have seriously been slacking on this blog. I'm sure you understand though. Hope everyone had as wonderful a time with their family, friends, and loved ones as I did!!

This was my first New Years Eve in Las Vegas. and I don't have a singly picture to prove it. scrunches face in disapproval. Oh well. Next year....that will be my resolution - take more pictures.

The fireworks on the strip were quite incredible though. Really beautiful and the show lasted the perfect amount of time. While visitors to the wonderful Sin City were puking their brains out and blacking out [or just being schwasty and having fun] I was wrapped in a blanket with a glass of wine watching the show in just pure contentment.

But my favorite part of New Years is New Years Day meal!! Every year, for a long time, I have made a traditional new years meal of cornbread, greens, and black eyed peas!!

Every year I try out new different ways to make these and every year I bring someone new into the tradition.

The cornbread I cheated a bit...I used a gluten free mix for the cornbread...but it was still quite good, especially with some butter. Hey, everything doesn't always have to be 100% homemade.

The Collard Greens I make pretty similarly every year - have to use the ham hocks. No, I don't add extra ham or bacon and I dont cut anything off the hamhocks either but it adds wonderful flavor.

New Years Collard Greens

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 smoked ham hocks
5 cups water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 bunches of collards 

Directions

1. Thoroughly clean each collard leaf, removing the tough stem and rib. Tear each leaf in half.

2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant.

3. Add in the tomatoes, ham hocks. Pour in the water and apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer. Add in the collards, tamping down with a wooden spoon to get all of the greens in the pot. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Season wtih 2 teaspoons of kosher or sea salt (use 1 teaspoons table salt) and black pepper.

I like to add a shake or two of cayenne as well....

This recipe told me it served 8...well, It served the three of us for dinner and then I had all the leftovers for lunch the next day so that sounds more like 4 to me....But I do believe these were some of my best greens....they weren't bitter like they can be, and the flavor from the ham hocks and tomatoes just rocked.

and while this was on the stove simmering away, I got to work on the 

Black Eyed Peas Casserole [for prosperity]

1 1/2 cups black eyed peas, rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups rice (I used wild rice)
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
One 10-ounce can Ro-tel (tomatoes + green chilies)
3 cups fresh spinach, cut into strips
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

 In a deep medium skillet, heat the olive oil at medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. 

Stir in garlic, then rice, broth, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 20 minutes (just until the rice has *almost* absorbed all of the liquid). Time will vary depending on the type of rice you choose to use).

Rice...with a lot of steam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scrape the rice into a large bowl. Add peas, tomatoes, spinach, 1 cup of the cheese and bacon. Stir it all together and then scoop it into a 9x12-inch (or similarly sized) casserole dish.

 Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes, just until cheese is melted.

Dinner is served.

There are all sorts of very similar for the meanings behind these foods. Or they may just know what the food represents but not the historical meaning behind it. 

The history of southerners serving black-eyed peas and collard greens began with Union soldiers raiding southern homes of all the most edible foods they could find. The Union soldiers took what they wanted from farms and homes in the south and left only the food that they considered undesirable, such as greens and fatback. Southerners learned to cook these undesirable foods, in order to survive, in a way that is now considered by southerners as good eatin’.

We usually eat black-eyed peas flavored with ham hock and collard greens for dinner on New Year’s Day for good luck and in remembrance of times of hardship and courage. The black-eyed peas represent coins (I don't really see it....) and the collard greens represent dollar bills. It is said that if you eat these foods on New Year’s Day, you will have plenty of money that coming year.

While I do enjoy these dishes, I rarely make them more than once a year...maybe you will remember this next year and bring some new things to the plate! Or just try it any day!

Have a wonderful week!!